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September 17, 2008

INFOLIST: Title Wave

Editor's Note: I have something to say about this but I need to gather my facts ...

This message was posted on the college's electronic mail server, Infolist Sept. 15:

September 15, 2008 - Letter from President Calaway to JCCC Community

Just a few weeks have passed since we celebrated the start of the fall semester and the time is right to share several organizational adjustments which will take effect immediately. I have gathered input from the broad internal and external community and have considered that advice in light of my vision for our fine institution. As you have heard me share in the past my focus for our college will be laser-like on this agenda!

Designing and implementing an outcomes based approach to curriculum and learning assessment that clearly and demonstrably improves learner knowledge.

Implement an organizational and budgetary model which is equally focused on learning and funding of learning innovation initiative.

Assure that a broad base of engagement opportunities are available to students and staff to support learners at all levels.

With the departure of Dr. Wayne Brown we were provided the opportunity to deeply consider the structure of our entire leadership function, how it supports learning and explore opportunities for our talented team in that arena. As a result of these factors I am pleased to share the following institutional enhancements.

First, as a result of his outstanding work and leadership within our college, I have asked Dr. Dana Grove to assume a restructured and expanded role, Executive Vice President, Educational Planning and Development/Chief Operating Officer. In this role he will continue to provide executive leadership for the following areas; Student Development, Workforce and Economic Development (formerly Continuing Education), Institutional Research, AQIP Accreditation, Institutional Strategic and Operational Planning, and Learner Engagement. He will also assume executive leadership for the College Information Services branch. Dr. Grove has provided outstanding leadership to our college and this dramatically expanded role will allow our college to benefit from his keen mind, effective leadership, and thoughtful style. With this structure adjustment and as a benefit to the outstanding leadership Dr. Grove has provided our college we will not be filling a third EVP level position and will redirect those funds into academic and student engagement initiatives. Ms. Sandra Warner has agreed to take on the senior level role of Interim Chief Information Officer upon the departure of Dr. Brown reporting now to Dr. Grove. This CIO position will be posted in the near future with the target date of January 1, 2009 for a final candidate to be in place. We have great confidence in Ms. Warner’s leadership skills and look for her to take us to exciting new places in support of learning and academics.

Institutional Research – National Benchmarking Study

Over the past several years the college has been deeply involved in the National Benchmark Study. This program provides vital comparative data to our college and our sister schools nationwide. The work in support of this study however has drawn resources away from the Institutional Research’s primary mission of learner outcome assessment and teaching support. Hence I have asked Dr. Jeff Seybert to take on the new role of Director, National Benchmark Project, within the Workforce and Economic Development Division. His role will include responsibility for the project and he will also conduct economic and market research for the branch. Please congratulate Jeff on this new focus of his work.

It will be our intention to immediately post the Director, Institutional Research position with an expressed leadership focus centered in learning and learner outcome assessment holistically across the college curriculum.

Campus Police and Public Safety Programs

With Dr. Brown’s departure I have asked Jerry Wolfskill to take on the added leadership role for the Campus Police department. He will work with Chief Ramirez to continue to assess all means needed to assure a safe environment for all on our campus. In his new role Mr. Wolfskill will work to expand opportunities with our community police and law enforcement entities and will assure, along with the chief, that officer training and community policing are of the highest priority.

Instruction and Learning Quality

Finally, with Dr. Grove’s significantly expanded role, Dr. Marilyn Rhinehart will take on the role of Chief Academic Officer and full responsibility for college credit instruction. She and I will work closely together to dramatically expand our college efforts toward a learning outcomes based approach to curriculum and instruction. We will have a clear focus on programs and services that will improve student success, retention, and educational goal attainment. We will also work directly together this fall to finalize the college’s academic leadership structure including filling all dean’s vacancies and finalizing our chair and Associate Dean structure. I have also asked Dr. Rhinehart to work closely with all academic support areas with an expressed focus on exploring and expanding the quality of our non teaching academic support. Each of our support areas do exceptional work and will look to build even further on their efforts by implementing a significant quality assessment approach to how we support work in the classroom. We will also continue to work closely with Dr. Grove’s efforts to strengthen our bond between Learner Engagement and Instruction.

Thank you for all you have done to keep us on track and focused on learning. Through your excellent work our college truly is providing a world class learning experience to all students.

Miguel M. Morales

Miguel grew up in Texas working as a migrant/seasonal farmworker. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow and a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop. Miguel is co-editor of Pulse/Pulso: In Remembrance of Orlando